Three Glasses of Champagne a Week Improves Memory Loss

Scientists at the University of Reading have popped the cork to check if champagne offers any health benefits.  The study results may give you a good excuse to gulp down three glasses of bubbly a week.

The researchers found that drinking three glasses of champagne a week helps fight against memory loss, which is linked with the process of aging and also helps delay the onset of degenerative brain disorders such as dementia, according to a news release.

Researchers noticed that phenolic compound present in champagne improves spatial memory, which plays an effective role in recording information about various events and also stores information.

These compounds function by modulating the signals in the hippocampus and cortex, which controls memory and learning. These compounds alter the number of proteins that are associated with storage of memories in the brain. Most proteins are believed to get depleted with age, making memory storage less competent and causing poorer memory, that triggers symptoms like dementia.

They noticed that champagne slows the loss of these proteins and prevents cognitive losses from occurring.

"These exciting results illustrate for the first time that the moderate consumption of champagne has the potential to influence cognitive functioning, such as memory.  Such observations have previously been reported with red wine, through the actions of flavonoids contained within it," professor Jeremy Spencer, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, said in a press statement. "However, our research shows that champagne, which lacks flavonoids, is also capable of influencing brain function through the actions of smaller phenolic compounds, previously thought to lack biological activity."  

In a previous study from the same university, it was revealed that two glasses of champagne a day is good for the heart, circulation, and also lowers the risk of being victims of cardiovascular diseases or stroke.

This study is published in Antioxidants and Redox Signalling.